Active learning methodologies (ALM) are associated with student success, but little research on this topic has been pursued at the community college level. At a local community college, students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses exhibited lower than average grades. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the use of ALM predicted STEM course grades while controlling for academic discipline, course level, and class size. The theoretical framework was Vygotsky's social constructivism. Descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression were performed on data collected through an anonymous survey of 74 instructors of 272 courses during the 2016 fall semester. Results indicated that students were more likely to achieve passing grades when instructors employed in-class, highly structured activities, and writing-based ALM, and were less likely to achieve passing grades when instructors employed project-based or online ALM. The odds ratios indicated strong positive effects (greater likelihoods of receiving As, Bs, or Cs in comparison to the grade of F) for writing-based ALM (39.1-43.3%, 95% CI [10.7-80.3%]), highly structured activities (16.4-22.2%, 95% CI [1.8-33.7%]), and in-class ALM (5.0-9.0%, 95% CI [0.6-13.8%]). Project-based and online ALM showed negative effects (lower likelihoods of receiving As, Bs, or Cs in comparison to the grade of F) with odds ratios of 15.7-20.9%, 95% CI [9.7-30.6%] and 16.1-20.4%, 95% CI [5.9-25.2%] respectively. A white paper was developed with recommendations for faculty development, computer skills assessment and training, and active research on writing-based ALM. Improving student grades and STEM course completion rates could lead to higher graduation rates and lower college costs for at-risk students by reducing course repetition and time to degree completion.

<div> <div> <div> <p>Understanding protein-protein interactions (PPIs) in a cell is essential for learning protein functions, pathways, and mechanisms of diseases. This dissertation introduces the computational method to predict PPIs. In the first chapter, the history of identifying protein interactions and some experimental methods are introduced. Because interacting proteins share similar functions, protein function similarity can be used as a feature to predict PPIs. NaviGO server is developed for biologists and bioinformaticians to visualize the gene ontology relationship and quantify their similarity scores. Furthermore, the computational features used to predict PPIs are summarized. This will help researchers from the computational field to understand the rationale of extracting biological features and also benefit the researcher with a biology background to understand the computational work. After understanding various computational features, the computational prediction method to identify large-scale PPIs was developed and applied to Arabidopsis, maize, and soybean in a whole-genomic scale. Novel predicted PPIs were provided and were grouped based on prediction confidence level, which can be used as a testable hypothesis to guide biologists’ experiments. Since affinity chromatography combined with mass spectrometry technique introduces high false PPIs, the computational method was combined with mass spectrometry data to aid the identification of high confident PPIs in large-scale. Lastly, some remaining challenges of the computational PPI prediction methods and future works are discussed. </p> </div> </div> </div>

Att lära sig läsa är en väsentlig del i dagens skola och samhälle. Därför läggs mycket fokus på just läsundervisning i de tidiga åren. Lärares kunskap och didaktik har stor betydelse för att främja elevernas läsinlärning. Det krävs en förståelse för läsprocessens komplexitet och vilka förmågor hos eleverna som är viktiga att utveckla. Följaktligen är studiens syfte att undersöka hur sex lärare på tre olika skolor uppfattar att en god läsundervisning etableras. Undersökningen vill belysa lärarens syn på vilka förmågor som är viktiga att utveckla i den tidiga läsundervisningen, vilka läsinlärningsmetoder som används och hur. Studien tar ansats i den sociokulturella teorin, där den proximala utvecklingszonen stöttar inlärning. Läraren behöver ha läsinlärningskunskaper för att kunna ta reda på var eleven befinner sig i sin utveckling och för att stötta hen vidare till en högre nivå i kunskapstrappan. Undersökningen genomförs med individuella semistrukturerade intervjuer med samtliga lärare. De semistrukturerade intervjuerna används för att samtalet ska vara någorlunda öppet men ändå följa en struktur. Resultatet visade att läsmotivation, avkodning och språkförståelse behövs för en effektiv läsinlärning. I studien framträder flera läsinlärningsmetoder, tre syntetiska och en analytisk. De tre syntetiska metoderna fokuserar mer på avkodning medan den analytiska metoden börjar i förståelsen. Undersökningen visar att det är givande att arbeta med flera metoder eftersom man dels kan anpassa undervisningen på olika nivåer, dels för att de olika metoderna passar olika elever. Genom varierande arbetssätt och läsinlärningsmetoder gynnas fler elever av läsundervisningen, vilket möjliggör att fler barn lär sig läsa. / Learning to read is an essential part of today`s school and society. Therefore, a lot of focus is placed on reading teaching in the early years. Teachers´ knowledge and didactics are great importance in promoting students´ learning to read. It requires an understanding of the complexity of the reading process and which abilities of the student are important to develop. Consequently, the aim of the study is to investigate how six teachers at three different schools perceive that good reading teaching is established. The survey wants to shed light om the teacher`s view of which abilities are important for pupils to develop in early reading teaching, which reading learning methods are used and how. The study takes an approach in the sociocultural theory, where the proximal development zone supports learning. The teacher needs to have reading learning skills to be able to find out where the student is in his development and support him further to a higher level on the knowledge ladder. The survey is carried out with individual semi-structured interviews with all teachers. The semi-structured interviews are used so that the conversation is reasonably open but still follows a structure. The results showed that reading motivation, decoding and language comprehension are needed for effective reading learning. Several reading learning methods appear in the study, three synthetic and one analytic. The three synthetic methods focus more on decoding while the analytical one begins in understanding. The survey shows that it is rewarding to work with several methods, partly because you can adapt the teaching at different levels, partly because the different methods suit different students. By using more varied working methods and reading learning methods, the teaching of reading benefits more students, which enables more children to learn to read.

This diploma work consists of three chapters and is devoted to the prediction of credit risks using machine learning methods, in particular, to finding the most effective model for predicting credit risk. An analysis of scientific literature was conducted in order to identify the most popular models in this area, as well as data sets that can be used for their subsequent training. The found sets containing data on credit risk were analyzed, transformed, normalized and sent to train several models: logistic regression, decision tree, random forest, support vector machine, k-nearest neighbors, XGBoost and CatBoost. When training the models mentioned above, the imbalance between credit risk classes was taken into account - methods for combating unbalanced classes were considered. The results obtained during the work were presented in the form of tables with metric values. The work of some of the considered machine learning models was interpreted using the SHAP library. In conclusion of this study, a conclusion was made about which of the considered models showed the highest results in determining credit risk. / Данная дипломная работа состоит из трех глав и посвящена предсказанию кредитных рисков с помощью методов машинного обучения, в частности, поиску наиболее эффективной для предсказания кредитного риска модели. Был проведен анализ научной литературы в целях выявления наиболее популярных в данной сфере моделей, а также наборов данных, которые могут быть использованы для их последующего обучения.Найденные наборы, содержащие в себе данные о кредитном риске, были проанализированы, преобразованы, нормализованы и отправлены на обучение нескольких моделей: логистическая регрессия, дерево решений, случайный лес, метод опорных векторов, метод k-ближайших соседей, XGBoost и CatBoost. При обучении упомянутых ранее моделей учитывался дисбаланс между классами кредитного риска – рассмотрены методы борьбы с несбалансированными классами. Полученные в ходе работы результаты представили в виде таблиц со значениями метрик. Работу некоторых рассмотренных моделей машинного обучения удалось интерпретировать с помощью библиотеки SHAP. В заключении данного исследования был сделан вывод о том, какие из рассматриваемых моделей показали наивысшие результаты при определении кредитного риска.

The study of vulnerabilities in intrusion detection systems (IDS/IPS) in algorithms based on statistical and machine learning methods is a relevant topic due to the constant growth of cyber threats in the present time, the need to protect data privacy, the application of the latest technologies and the prevalence of the use of machine learning methods in the field of information security. The practical significance of the study is as follows: the results of the study will allow to identify vulnerabilities in intrusion detection systems (IDS/IPS), which helps to improve the overall level of security of information systems; the study of algorithms based on statistical and machine learning methods will allow to develop new methods of protection against attacks and implement them in existing IDS/IPS systems; the obtained results can be used to train information security specialists, which helps to improve the level of security of information systems. / Исследование уязвимостей систем обнаружения вторжений (IDS/IPS) в алгоритмах, основанных на статистических методах и методах машинного обучения, является актуальной темой в силу постоянного роста киберугроз в нынешнее время, необходимости защиты конфиденциальности данных, применения новейших технологий и распространенности использования методов машинного обучения в области информационной безопасности. Практическая значимость исследования заключается в следующем: результаты исследования позволят выявить уязвимости в системах обнаружения вторжений (IDS/IPS), что способствует повышению общего уровня безопасности информационных систем; изучение алгоритмов, основанных на статистических методах и методах машинного обучения, позволит разработать новые методы защиты от атак и внедрить их в существующие системы IDS/IPS; полученные результаты могут быть использованы для обучения специалистов по информационной безопасности, что способствует повышению уровня квалификации и подготовки кадров в данной области.

Meaningful learning requires active teaching and learning approaches. Thus, with a specific focus on Mathematics teaching at university in Oramia, the study aimed to: • examine the extent to which active learning/student-centered approaches were implemented; • assess the attitudes of university lecturers towards active-learning; • investigate whether appropriate training and support have been provided for the implementation of an active learning approaches • assess the major challenges that hinder the implementation of active learning approaches and • recommend ways that could advance the use of active learning approaches in Mathematics teaching at university. A mixed-methods design was used. Among the six universities in the Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia, two of the newly established universities (younger than 5 years) and two of the old universities (15 years and older) were involved in the study. A total of 84 lecturers participated in the study and completed questionnaires. This was complemented by a qualitative approach that used observation checklists and interviews for data gathering: 16 lessons were observed while the lecturers taught their mathematics classes (two lecturers from each of the four sample universities were twice observed). In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with four mathematics department heads and eight of the observed lecturers. The study adhered to ethical principles and to applied several techniques to enhance the validity/trustworthiness of the findings. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

This study was devoted to researching the effectiveness of e-learning, in terms of the reported experiences of the Language Services section employees in Parliament RSA. At present, the internet is seen as a successful and influential educational tool in both academic and corporate institutions. Academically, it has been adopted for e-learning methods of teaching and learning. It is perceived as a cost-effective method of providing lifelong education. It is important to know about the pros and cons of e-learning in adult education and compare them with the experiences of the people who are and have been engaged in adult education. To create an adult education skills development framework that can be used successfully in e-learning, it is important to get information about and from the people concerned regarding their learning experiences. To understand more about the influence of e-learning, this study administered a questionnaire to the employees of the Language Services Section of Parliament who participated in the pilot learning programmes offered by Parliament. The questionnaire was designed to gather structured responses from the participants in the inquiry. The results were studied and applied to draw recommendations for what can be improved in the programme to promote and endorse continuing learning experiences as is the aim of the in-house programme offered by Parliament. The study also has relevance in terms of a discussion of issues that arise in the literature on adult education, which were located as part of the study. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Adult Education)

This study investigates the use of co-operative learning in the teaching of mapwork to Geography students in tertiary education. Diverse methods of teaching Geography mapwork and also theories of learning that are relevant to the teaching of mapwork are discussed. Co-operative learning, and how it can be employed in the teaching of mapwork is fully explained. The study revealed that co-operative learning method can help students to achieve higher marks in mapwork. It is an instructional method that uses small groups of students working together to meet educational goals. The approach relies on interaction and interdependence and thus is especially suited to higher level conceptual tasks requiring problem-solving and decision-making. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Syftet med den kvantitativa undersökningen var att jämföra ASL (att skriva sig till läsning) i ett helordsperspektiv med den traditionella ljudmetoden gällande elevers tidiga läs- och skrivutveckling. Jämförelsen gjordes också för att se vilken läsinlärningsmetod som är mest gynnsam och om någon av dessa har bättre möjligheter att förebygga läs- och skrivsvårigheter. Undersökningen bygger på sekundärdata från cirka 200 elever med olika läsinlärningsmetoder där i första hand ordavkodningsförmågan jämförs. Resultat gällande fonologisk medvetenhet, ordavkodningsförmåga, stavning samt nationella prov i svenska samlades in från två parallellgrupper (ASL - ljudmetod). Testmaterialet har hämtats från förskoleklass till och med årskurs 3. Resultatet visade bättre ordavkodningsförmåga för de flesta elever som har haft ASL som läsinlärningsmetod. Detsamma gäller för elever som hade hög ordavkodningsförmåga från årskurs 1. För elever med låg ordavkodningsförmåga visade resultaten däremot ingen skillnad mellan de båda metoderna. En tolkning skulle kunna göras att ASL gynnar ordavkodningsförmågan för många elever, men inte har större möjligheter än ljudmetoden att förebygga läs- och skrivsvårigheter. / The purpose of the quantitative study was to compare WTR (writing to read) in a whole language perspective with the traditional phonics regarding students' early literacy development. The comparison was also made to see which literacy learning method that is most favourable and if any of them is more able to prevent reading and writing disabilities. The study is based on secondary data from approximately 200 students with different methods of teaching reading in which primarily word decoding ability was compared. Results regarding phonological awareness, word decoding ability, spelling and National tests in Swedish were gathered from two parallel groups (WTR - phonics). The test material has been taken from pre-school to grade 3. The results showed better word decoding ability for most students who have had WTR as literacy learning method. The same applies to students who had high word decoding ability from grade 1. Results from students with low word decoding ability showed however no difference between the two methods. One interpretation would be that WTR favours word decoding ability for many students, but does not have more opportunities than phonics of preventing reading and writing disabilities.

The work deals with the cooperation of pupils among first and second grade pupils in a primary school. It analyzes to which extent are second grade pupils able to give their knowledge to pupils of the first grade. Then it shows how the learning style and the personality affects the cooperation of an individual within the group. The practical part proofs the long-term investigation in one class that was systematically prepared for the cooperation among older and younger pupils. The results of this research in the observed class evaluate higher level of cooperative and communication skills of individual pupils than those, who previously did not deal with cooperation. Teaching pupils how to cooperate gradually developed their relationship not only to younger classmates, but to the willingness to help each other, to respect the opinions of others and it also strengthened the relationships in the observed classroom. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)